Bathtub slipper



C. J. JESNIG BATHTUB SLIPPER Nov. 7, 1939.

Filed May 7,1938

Patented Nov. 7, 1939 Q I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BATHTUB SLIPPER Charles J. Jesnig. Newtown Square, Pa. Application May 7, 1938, Serial No. 206,576 7 (01. 36-81) My invention relates to bath slippers intended. grip with alternating positions of the foot with for use by persons bathing in a tub and designed respect to the tub. to reduce danger of 'slipping in the tub. I have chosen to show a conventional gaiter One of the purposes of my invention is to top llland a laced top H only. Other forms of mount vacuum cups on the sole of a bath slipper fastening than by the snap fasteners l2 or lacings 5 not only upon the ball and heel but upon a filled l3 indicated by the drawing are of course availout section beneath the instep of the foot, so able and are well known. The top may be cut that fiat'footed engagement with the bottom of out between the required points of attachment the tub will provide maximum protection against to the sole provided that the sole be properly sli age. secured to the foot against wobbling or slippage 10 A further purpose is to cushion a bath slipper of the foot. The word slipper is intended to be beneath the instep of the foot to an extent slightgeneric and to cover sandals and other informal ly in excess of a straight line from the ball of foot coverings. the foot to the heel so that with the deeper com- The sole of the slipper is intended to be repression of the additional instep cushioning the silient and may be made largely of rubber. The 15 bearing of the sole and heel of a'bath slipper .will cups l4, l5, l6, and II are shallow vacuum cups" be substantially uniform. having annular surfaces about their rims which A further purpose is to cushion the instep of a. are compressible and which facilitate formation bath slipper and the ball and heel of the foot, the of a vacuum when the foot presses the cup cushioning being deeper under the instep than against a tub bottom and brief but effective 20 under the ball and heel, and to mount vacuum maintenance of the vacuum while the pressure cups in th surface thus formed, is applied. Because the cups must be air tight A further purpose is to provide a nearly plane they are preferably of solid rubber but they need cushioned sole for a bath slipper having vacuum not be of pure rubber.

. cups spread over it and with slightly projecting The annular contacts l8 preferably project 5 cup mouths, so that when pressure is placed on slightly beyond the adjacent surface l9 of the the sole by the wearer and the projections about remainder of the sole of the slip There is the mouths of the cups are compressed, there not the same reason for the remainder of the will be a substantially uniform engaging surface sole of the slipper being solid as in the case of except for the interior of the cups. the vacuum cups and the annular rings and this 30 I prefer to illustrate my invention by a single 16 "I y que y be rmed of solid form only selecting a form which i not only rubber or of any other resilient material which practical and effective but to advantage il1usreasonably grips su ce O a tub bottom trates the principles thereof. when wet, which is otherwise appropriate for Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bath slipper lipper sole use and which compresses and ex- 35 free from pressure but upon the foot of the h n s W ll under variations in pressure. It

wearen might be of sponge rubber for example.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the slipper Union with the vacuum cups is required in of Figure 1. order that the entire tread may act as a unit 40 Figures 3 and 4 are sections upon lines 3-3 in holding against slippage and in.order that 40 and 4 4 through the slipper of Figure 2. there may be no failure of the cups by reason of Figure 5 is a perspective front view of a laced tearing away from the adjacent portions of the slipper and foot. sole. A

In the drawing similar numerals indicate like Foiconvenience treating the material as rubparts. her, the rubber not only extends over the greater 45 The very consid b e di u y i v i i part of the heel and sole but is filled more, of j y m bath tubs, due to W bathe! pp in course, at the inside of the instep than at the the tu a p a a r m p a y m asoutside, so as to project beyond a plane joining me which Ofie s sa e ythe outer ball and heel surface of the slipper;

60 The problem is best appr d h ough the with the thought that the greater depth of rub: use of a slipper or other device fastened to the her at the instep will provide a greater extent of foot because it is always in protective position. compression for the same weight than 'will be The present invention is directed to securing a true of the ball and heel portions of the slipper.

' maximum grip of a slipper against the bottom As there will be greater depth of material at the of the tub and a of difference in this inner side of the instep than at the outer side, 55

likewise the greatest initial convexity or outward curvature of the rubber at the instep in longitudinal section will occur on the.inside of the foot, away from the observerin Figure 1 than in the outer part of the foot.

When the weight of the wearer is set upon the foot in the tub the compression at the instep, particularly at the inside of the instep will be greater than that of the other portions along the tread of the slipper and the compression will resuit in a conformation of the lower part of the slipper agreeing with that of the surface of the tub against which it is placed, and substantially fiat when the user is standing in the middle of the width of the tub.

With the greater compression in the instep portion of the foot than at the ball and heel, the expansion of this compressed instep portion when the bather rocks slightly on the ball of the foot will cause the rubber at the instep to continue for a short distance, contact with the tub bottom notwithstanding tilting of the foot. This will result in contact of more than just the ball of the foot with the surface of the tub even when the heel has been lifted slightly from contact with the tub bottom, giving a longer and better tub contact than would otherwise be available.

For the same reason contact of the instep portion of the tread of the slipper against the bottom of the tub is not released immediately when the ball of the foot begins to lift from contact with thebottom of the tub.

Because there is much more tendency of the foot to slip laterally toward the outside of the 'foot and the side of the tub adjacent to it than toward the center of the tub and because the foot of the wearer is normally nearer to the side of the tub to the outside of the foot than to the opposite side of the tub the additional and follow up contact of this relative swelled inner instep portion of the tread oiTers a special advantage.

It is intended that the compression of the rims of the vacuum cups shall be such that they will compress to a point back of the normal uncompressed surface of the sole or heel of the shoe in order that there may be compression of the entire sole, including the instep portion, and heel, when the user stands fiat-footedly within the bottom of the tub.

It will be evident that the bathing slippers may be manufactured in quantity to fit the normal instep with special sizes having additional or less thickness at the inside of the instep for the use of wearers having higher or shallower insteps.

It will be evident that my bathing slipper offers arch support benefits at the time when the wearer is in need of them because he is not wearing his normal shoes.

In view of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art to obtain part or all of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such in so far as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for preventing slippage to be worn on the foot having a tread of compressible material normally when uncompressed projecting further outwardly under the instep than under the ball and heel and compressible into approximately a plane under the weight of the wearer.

2. A device for preventing slippage to be worn on the foot having a tread normally of outwardly convexed, longitudinal vertical section from the heel past the instep and over the sole, the convex portion being freely compressible to approximately a plane by the weight of the wearer.

3. A device for preventing slippage to be worn on the foot, comprising a compressible tread adapted to fit the ball, heel, and instep of the wearer having a greater compressible depth at the inside of the instep than elsewhere and normally when uncompressed fuller at the inside of the instep than at the ball and .heel and means for holding the tread to the foot of the wearer.

4. A device for preventing slippage to be worn on the foot comprising a resilient tread portion extending under the inside of the instep of the foot thicker at the instep than elsewhere, projecting downwardly at the instep, compressible approximately into a plane defined by the sole and heel and covering the sole and heel, vacuum cups located in the tread including one beneath the instep and means for holding the tread to the foot.

5. In a device for preventing slippage to be worn on the foot a resilient tread portion including an arch support projecting downwardly under the instep of the foot to an extent beyond the sole and heel and there compressible by the weight of the wearer substantially into a plane with the sole and heel, vacuum cups located in the sole and beneath the instep and means for holding the tread to the foot.

6. A device for preventing slippage to be worn on the foot comprising a tread and backing material of rubber filled out under the instep more on the inside than on the outside and far enough so that a longitudinal vertical section through the inside of the tread shall be convex downwardly.

7. A bath contrivance adapted to be worn on the foot and including a tread covering the ball, heel and instep of the foot having vacuum cups molded therein the tread being of outwardly convexed longitudinal section.

' CHARLES J. JESNIG. 

